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#DeleteFacebook

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GPM

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I deleted my Facebook for a few months. It was the best thing I ever did.


Then i started my business. And I need my Facebook groups to talk to my customers and get sales.

I am tempted to make a second account that has no friends solely to be the admin of these groups...

I found Facebook to be cancerous and damaging to my health and so I deleted it in 2011.

In 2016 I made a new account which does not contain my full real name. I have 1 childhood friend on it (who I keep trying to get in to business or some sort for himself), and my wife (so that she can keep tabs on me haha, tricks on her, I rarely use it). I signed up after my first Event, and for the sole purpose of keeping in touch with those who I became friends with in my new business circle of friends.

It has since been handy in finding housing for an LA meetup, and the 2018 meetup. Other than that I don't use it. In fact, I have not even been on it since the Event in February, and I probably won't be on it for another month or so since I have better things to do with my time.
 
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BNeumann

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Just saying...

Guess I'm the early adopter here.

I've deleted Facebook from my minds-eye a couple years ago. I still have the accounts, but me visiting Facebook is like me going to the Mutual Fund retirement conference.

And if you want to help me out besides the ten dollars you spent on my book(s), visiting THE FORUM and contributing HERE over Facebook helps me tremendously.

Mark Zuckerberg don't give a sh*t about you.

I do. ;)
I ONLY just started FB last year. Only to see whether or not it would work as a platform. My significant other has been on there since it began but I've paid NO attention to it whatsoever. It's interesting to see how it has changed. But is is also interesting to how a "latecomer" can learn from the behavior on this platform. FB is not reality. So that's what people expect now. Virtual Reality. The platform has many problems that deal with basic human wants and needs and it fails to deliver. But some have figured out HOW to deliver on that platform. They take advantage of the SCRIPTED mind. If you follow this forums GOLD threads you will find out why. FB is designed for the masses, not for the ones who want to change the masses.
 

RobD88

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I've been toying with the idea for months. Problem is I know I'll need it to get my business up and running. I'll be creating a separate FB page for my business. Once I get all of my "warm market" on board with liking that page it will be c'ya! to my personal page.
 

ZF Lee

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Just saying...

Mark Zuckerberg don't give a sh*t about you.

I do. ;)
tenor.gif


Thanks MJ!

It is very humbling every day to see you come by this forum, although you have had it made. Before I came here, I thought that finding mentors or people to learn from was only reserved for people with more money or connections.

I was wrong.:)

So it seems stakeholder demotions have taken its toll on Facebook....

I found Facebook to be cancerous and damaging to my health and so I deleted it in 2011.

In 2016 I made a new account which does not contain my full real name. I have 1 childhood friend on it (who I keep trying to get in to business or some sort for himself), and my wife (so that she can keep tabs on me haha, tricks on her, I rarely use it). I signed up after my first Event, and for the sole purpose of keeping in touch with those who I became friends with in my new business circle of friends.

It has since been handy in finding housing for an LA meetup, and the 2018 meetup. Other than that I don't use it. In fact, I have not even been on it since the Event in February, and I probably won't be on it for another month or so since I have better things to do with my time.
Same here!

I use FB only for meetups. These days though, my preference is Whatsapp. Easily interchangeable with phone numbers, and minus the ads.

That being said, I will still keep an account on FB, but I won't worship it.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
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ZF Lee

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Ok, the hate on Facebook and its general populace aside....

Let's look for a solution to the problem.

Question:
If you ran Facebook, how would you deal with the problems of crap content, personal data leakage and the rest of the shitshow that have made us GTFO?

Comparing FB and TFLF, both are very different things. FB is a social media channel while TFLF is a channel. Still, both create online communities and content distribution.

While great management practices on part of TFLF mods (thank you!) can be put into action in FB, can it be implemented across a billion-pax worldwide channel?
Might not be a straightforward answer....so even Zuck might be in a pickle there.
 

Xeon

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Mark Zuckerberg don't give a sh*t about you.
I do. ;)

415.gif


On a more serious note, the photos & content I see in my FB feed from "friends" daily can be summarized as follows:

1) Going to exotic countries - "chasing" after the Northern Lights

2) Daily Positive/motivational quotes (sometimes 4 posts/day) - ....and still sitting on their asses daily playing online games

3) Kids - These folks, their universe revolves around nothing but kids. Except no one tells them their kids are not cute at all. I feel pugs and cats are way cuter!

4) Guru Ads - F*ck this shit. I look at the comments for such ads and I cringed when I see so many folks asking how to sign up, where to join, location of seminar, how much they can expect to earn, how fast they can get rich. Comments amt can range from 60 to 500+.

5) Memes and crazy vids of people doing impossible stunts - makes up 60% of my feed

6) Cars - some folks like to take pics with their Hyundai/Honda/Mazda cars and think it's some Ferrari/Lambo/Pagani shit

7) Food - There's a couple who're food addicts. Goes to restaurants daily eating huge amts of beautiful but unhealthy food. I fear for their health, and worry they'll have to pay the price sooner or later for disregarding what they put in their mouth.
 

meridian_blue

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If you ran Facebook, how would you deal with the problems of crap content, personal data leakage and the rest of the shitshow that have made us GTFO?

Honestly I wouldn't.
Facebook is doing its job - and its brutally effective. Facebook is in the business of drawing people in with crap content and keeping them there. Most of 'social media' are articles, videos, and ads to keep people drawn in and clicking. I would say in my experience less than 5% of it is actually meaningful posts made by actual people I know and care about. And personal data leakage aside (which is a major PR problem right now), Facebook is in the business of gathering and selling data. Staggering amounts of it.

But the scariest part about social media how much time it drains out of the average user. Countless hours, over years - that's real. Lost business opportunities, lost time to spend working out, or spending time with loved ones. The number one time-drain in America isn't TV, its Facebook.
 
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rogue synthetic

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Count me in with you social media skeptics.

A few years back when younger people were still using FB, I had to hear that "you need an account like you need a phone". I was already checked out of the platform even back then, taking a few six-month-long account closures to prevent temptations.

Eventually I just closed the thing down several years ago and never looked back as a casual user.

I did make an empty backup profile, with no info filled out and no friends, to manage a few pages I had up. I've been dabbling back on the platform recently to see if there's anything worth doing with groups and the ads platform.

So far I'm not too impressed with trying to build up a group (though that's got a lot to do with me not being too sure about the content strategy just yet, so there's trial-and-error kinks to work out). Ads might be more promising but, as with the groups, I'm still not sure that the platform is where I want to be.

Besides all that I keep coming back to Cal Newport's thoughts on this topic: the less time on social media the better. Besides the hit to productivity, there's something unsavory about conditioning yourself into a human version of Pavlov's dog with a smartphone.
 

Fox

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This is from my group and it quite interesting...

Screen Shot 2018-03-22 at 07.41.59.png
 
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Hurley32533

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Left fb at the end of 2017 and haven’t missed it one bit. Just yesterday I logged back on to explore fb ads for a business and got sucked into the abyss for a few hours which really reinforced why I left in the first place. Fb=total time suck ✌
 

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Ya Im tempted to leave, even with my group.

Fox your group is the only reason I log on to Facebook. Maybe start a forum like this one? I have learned some pain points from other members but I can't stand logging in...Every time we log in we make that slimeball Zuckerburg richer...
 

Hyrum

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Still have it, but the last post I made on Facebook was July of 2012. Never really was a big part of my life. I still use it to manage a few business pages, but honestly I don't even see too many of my close friends and family using it any more either.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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The number one time-drain in America isn't TV, its Facebook.

Besides all that I keep coming back to Cal Newport's thoughts on this topic: the less time on social media the better.

Haven't read his book, but I'm guessing he's taken a position similar to mine, that being, having a smartphone duct-taped to one's face isn't good for your life?
 

BlakeIC

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I use it for FB groups I am apart of and to spy on ads & funnels of other companies (and man have I come away with some gems).

Really comes down to how you use it. I don't care about any of the posts from 'friends' on FB so I don't get consumed by them.

It's the FB groups with IM'ers that do it for me. It is a grrrrreeeeaaaatttt way of pulling in clients.
 

Invictus

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Haven't read his book, but I'm guessing he's taken a position similar to mine, that being, having a smartphone duct-taped to one's face isn't good for your life?

In Deep Work, Newport makes the argument that it's actually affecting our ability to do important work. We're so used to playing on Facebook and 'shallow work' (IE: Answering emails, slack notifications, and repetitive stuff) that we're increasingly unable to actually sit down and do something that requires focus.

Like writing a book. Strategizing. Conquering your enemies. Coding.

We spend so much time on B.S. or less important tasks, that it fills up our days and prevents us from working effectively.

The man barely answers emails and doesn't have a Facebook. He's often told he's missing out. But, in one year alone, he published 7 peer-reviewed papers, wrote/published a book, parented two kids, read multiple books (which is apparently an achievement in this day and age), and rarely worked past 5:30.

I would say I recommend the book, but, I doubt you'd gain much value from it. It's a fantastic read and I learned a lot, but you'd likely be hearing much of what you already know.
 
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TKDTyler

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I remember when I deleted FB freshman year of college (2009). People thought I was weird for not having a FB account, FB being the #1 way college kids communicated events.

I wasn't the most social butterfly in college though, so there's that... :happy:

In any case, FB satisfies people's need to connect and belong - many are uncomfortable not knowing what's going on or feeling irrelevant. Without "putting yourself out there," a majority of people will forget you exist. One could say, social media is essential for many people's human necessity for significance.
 

MJ DeMarco

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I doubt you'd gain much value from it.

Hmm, not sure about that. I struggle with the same stuff as everyone here. Focus being one of them. To be honest, it shouldn't take me YEARS to write a book.
 
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GravyBoat

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I am tempted to make a second account that has no friends solely to be the admin of these groups...

I'm under the impression that I HAVE to have a personal Facebook account in order to run Facebook ads, which are essential to my business. I made a second "fake" account with only 1 or 2 friends to run ads, but it was quickly banned. They asked me to upload a photo ID, which I did, but then I got no reply. I had to re-activate my personal one and it works fine now.

I wasn't the most social butterfly in college though, so there's that...

If you're in the college party scene, FB is crucial. Either that or making sure all of your friends are on the party pages and just let you know instead. Again, MASSIVE distraction.

I've deleted my FB several times throughout the years. I currently have one solely because of running ads. I have deleted all of my friends and only have my mom, grandma, and the likes as my friends, and have them all "Unfollowed" so I don't see their posts. My newsfeed consists purely of groups that I'm in (Facebook ad groups mostly, business groups), and of course, ads I'm being shown.

I STILL get sucked into the videos on it and other garbage. It's designed this way.

If anyone knows of a way to still run FB ads on a throwaway account without getting banned within a month, PLEASE let me know. Life without social media is MUCH better. Less jealousy, you might not even know it, but it's subconscious and DOES effect you. FAR less drama. FAR less BS.
 

jon2089

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Facebook marketplace has replaced Craigslist for me but don't use it for much else.
 
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rogue synthetic

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Haven't read his book, but I'm guessing he's taken a position similar to mine, that being, having a smartphone duct-taped to one's face isn't good for your life?

That's about the gist of it, yes.

As @Invictus said, Deep Work makes a strong case for working in high blocks of time, with a high quality of focus, if your work involves any sort of cognitive effort -- which most everything that isn't manual labor does.

You cannot get that quality if you are living in a world of distraction.

Every time the messenger goes ding, it snaps you out of the state of concentration and it can cost you a half-hour or longer to get your focus back.

If you're trying to get things done at all, let alone anything creative or intellectual that requires deep thinking, you just can't do it with a smartphone in your face, emails open and notifications on.

That argument is all mainly about how to be more productive on the job. Over on his blog he's been taking a much harder line against social media and always-on smartphones, mainly for their unwanted social and personal consequences.

(Just one example: my country officially banned phone-talking and texting while driving almost 10 years ago. There is not an hour of the day that I cannot look out my window, at the cars stopped at the light, and not see at least one driver or two looking down at their laps, texting away. What's so important that you can't focus on the road -- or even put the phone down to just enjoy the solitude?)

Some interesting recent posts in this vein:

On the Complicated Economics of Attention Capital - Study Hacks - Cal Newport

On the Rise of Digital Addiction Activism - Study Hacks - Cal Newport

On Seriously Rethinking the Digital Economy - Study Hacks - Cal Newport

Tim Wu on the Tyranny of Convenience - Study Hacks - Cal Newport

On Social Media and Its Discontents - Study Hacks - Cal Newport
 

racyred09

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When we go on trips it doesn't bother me to stay completely off the internet for a week or 2. I usually don't even think about it. Problem lately is that the mother-in-law is getting old (90) so we stay closer to home more and spend more time with her instead of taking trips.

One thing that makes it easy for me to stay completely off the internet is that I do not use my phone for the internet. 99% of the time when I am on the internet I am at my desk. I don't like small screens. Maybe if you are having a hard time staying off Facebook or the internet, set the rule that you can only be on when you are at a certain place such as your desk. Or if you have a desk top or lap top make it a rule where you only use it when you are on one of those.

I was going to say the same thing! I don't have the Facebook or Messenger apps, and it's very easy to forget to check. I do stay on the social networks because they're connected to my business accounts (and for the personal reason that I've got no family in this country and like to keep people somewhat up-to-date with my kids).

Am I missing something? Why the sudden recommendation to quit it?
 
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racyred09

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I was going to say the same thing! I don't have the Facebook or Messenger apps, and it's very easy to forget to check. I do stay on the social networks because they're connected to my business accounts (and for the personal reason that I've got no family in this country and like to keep people somewhat up-to-date with my kids).

Am I missing something? Why the sudden recommendation to quit it?
Nevermind, I Googled...I'm a little out-of-touch :p
 

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